Rolling machine for rubber articles or the like



M y 1, 1945. F. w. FENWICK 2,375,093

ROLLING MACHINE FOR RUBBER ARTICLES OR THE LiKE Filed May 18,1945

Patented May 1, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROLLING MACHINE FOR RUBBER ARTICLES OR THE LIKE Frank W. Fenwick, Cleveland, Ohio Application May 518, 1943, Serial No. 487,535 19 Claims. (Cl. 182) The objectof this invention has been to devise a simple and inexpensive machine for rolling hollow articles such as balloons, finger stalls or guards, prophylactics, etc, made from rubber or equivalent material of a flexible or resilient nature.

, A machine of the invention is constructed with form or pin members arranged upon a moving platform and upon which members the hollow rubberarticle is emplaced in elongated condition or in substantially the form in which it is cured when its manufacture is completed.

Provisions are made for rotating the'platform or table carrying the form members or pins and for automatically effecting a rolling action of the hollow rubber articles in the course of the movement of the platform until the articles are in substantially generally flat condition to come-- mize space occupied thereby, for packaging and merchandising purposes.

For a full understanding of the invention reference is to be made to the following specification and the accompanying drawing illustrating the machine.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view with the rotating platform shown in section, bringing out the operating features of the machine and showing certain ofthe hollow rubber articles handled thereby as when emplaced in position preliminary to the rolling operation and as seen in their graduated rolled condition previous to being detached from the form members.

Figure 2 is a top plan view showing more particularly the platform feature of the machine and arrangement of the flexible rolling and detaching members, a few of which only are illustrated in order to bring out'the mode of functioning thereof. t

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken primarily through one of the form or pin members supporting the rubber article preliminary to and during the rolling action thereof, showin clearly the arrangement of the flexible rolling members and weight means coacting with each such member for maintaining it in proper operating position relatively to the form member.

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 44 of Figure 3, looking downwardly.

Describing my invention specifically and referring particularly to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing, my machine will be seen to comprise a suitable base I upon which is mounted a motor 2, the drive shaft of which is connected to or forms a part of a worm shaft 3 disposed in engagement with the worm gear 4. The said gear parts may be supported .in any suitable way in a standard 5 carried by the base, upon which standard is supported the rotating platform or table 6. Extending vertically upward from the gear 4 and forming an axis for said gear is a shaft 1 rigidly connected with the central portion of the table or latform 6, said shaft thereby adapted to transmit rotation to the platform during the operation of'the motor 2. i

Upon the platform 6 arecarried, adjacent to the periphery thereof, a large number of suitably spaced form members or pins 8 which may be vertically disposed or inclined at a slight angle outwardly from the platform, the latterarrangement being shown and preferred as it facilitates emplacement upon the members or pins'8, the rubber articles which are to be rolled by means of the machine. Above the platform 6, and with in the area of the circle in the line of which the members 8 are disposed, is arranged a pull plate 9 having openings adjacent to its peripheral portion, of a number corresponding to the number of the form members 8 carried by the platform. Attached to the pull plate 9 at each of the openings 911 near its periphery is a flexible rolling and detaching member [0, each of the members In being connected by a small coil sprin H at its innerend with the opening 9a of the plate 9 fore, extends over the top or upper end of its cooperating form member 8 and the latter is preferably formed with a vertical groove extending upwardly along its inner side more adjacent to the member 9, said groove curving over the top of the form member 8 and extending a short distance down upon the outer side of said member 8. The grooveprovides a countersunk portion of the member 8, into which the flexible rollin member ID coacting therewith may be pushed and will lie when the hollow rubber article is emplaced upon the form member 8 preliminary to the rolling operation.

Each flexible rolling member III, which is virtually a length of cord or string material, is of sufiicient length so that during a certain portion of the rotation of the platform considerableslack will be contained in the length of the member [0, this slack gradually decreasing until at a certain time in the rotation of the platform the member I 0 is stretched or tensioned for effecting the rolling and detaching action of the member in reference to therubber articles emplaced upon its associated pin or form member 8, as will later be described. In order to compel the proper action of the flexible rolling and detaching members II] in respect to the slacking and tensioning of the same, the pull plate 9 is rotatably supported upon a vertical depending supporting member l3 which may be carried by an arm l4 extending over the top of the platform 6, and said pull member 9 is located in a position eccentric in relation to the axis or shaft 1 of the platform 6. An arm l5 may be secured to and extends from the standard 5 that supports the platform 6. On the outer end of this arm is mounted a lever I6 spring actuated by the spring I1 so as to be normally biased to move in the direction of the platform 6. Said lever I6 is bifurcated at its upper end and carries on its inner arm l8 a printing member l9 and on its outer arm an inking pad member 2 I. A stop 22 limits the inward movement of the upper portion of the lever l6 and said last mentioned parts constitute a printing device which, since it forms the subject matter of a separate application, will not be further described.

As a slack take-up means for acting upon the rolling and tensioning member in, I employ a weight 23 attached to a cord 24, the weight being disposed beneath the platform and passing over a pulley 25 mounted therein. The cord 24 and weight 23 are slack take-up means, the cord passing upwardly through the platform and having a sheave 26 secured to its upper end beneath which the associated rolling and tensioning member l0 passes. Thus, the member It) always carries the weight 23 and one of these weights 23 is provided for each one of the members l0.

With the construction of my rolling machine described according to the foregoing outline, the operation of the machine is as follows:

There may be provided, though the same is not necessary, a loading table A at the loading station of the machine to support the hollow rubber articles as they are picked up and emplaced upon the form members 8 at a point adjacent to said station. The hollow rubber articles are designated 21 in the drawings, and, preliminary to the operation thereon by the machine, they are grasped and stretched So as to be emplaced upon each pin or form member 8 as it comes opposite the loading station or table A during the rotation of the platform 6. At this point the rolling and tensioning members It] have the greatest amount of slack therein and are virtually disposed in the position of Figure 3, whilst the rubber article is stretched or placed in its elongated condition upon the form member 8 substantially in the manner shown in Figure 3 except that in this figure the rolling operation has started on the lower end of the article 21.

The platform or table 6 of course is intended to continuously rotate under the drive from the motor 2 and the various form members 8 are adapted to be quickly loaded with the rubber articles in the manner shown in Figure 1 adjacent to the table A or loading station, and then progress away from the station whilst the flexible rolling members Ill are rather slack but are being placed under increased tension by reason of the movement of the form members 8 increased distances away from the eccentric pull plate 9. The tension on the flexible rolling members or cords l0 gradually increasing incident to the movement of the members 8 from the point of loading thereof to the point of detachment of the rubber articles therefrom which takes place at about the unloading station B, gradually exerts an upward rolling effect from the lower end of the rubber article 21. The initial rolling effect is depicted in Figure 3 and the graduated extents of rolling of the rubber articles 21 is depicted in Figure 1, wherein it will be seen that approximately at the unloading station B the entire rubber article 2'! has been rolled into substantially flat condition, whereupon its elasticity or resiliency causes it to flip off the upper end of the form member or pin 8 and drop from the platform 6 into any suitable receptacle arranged handy for the reception of the rolled articles.

It may be noted that the stamping device generally described before will stamp any legend or inscription desired upon the outer surface of each rubber article 21 shortly after it is emplaced upon its form member 8 and when it has traveled over to the stamping member l9 held yieldably in readiness to do its imprinting or impressing work.

As the tension increases on the members In incident to the rotation of the platform 6, the weights 23 are raised, of course, by slack takeup cords 24, and later in the rotation of the part 6 these weights lower as the distance between the members 8 and the pull plate 9 decreases subsequent to the final rolling and detaching action effected by the members I0.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In a machine for rolling rubber articles, in combination, a platform, means for effectin movement thereof, form members carried by said platform for receiving hollow rubber articles, flexible cord-like members applied to said form members and adapted to lie close thereagainst when hollow articles are emplaced upon the form members, and having free ends extending externally of thearticles on the form members, for actuation by movement away from the form members for effecting endwise rolling action of the hollow articles.

2. In a machine for rolling rubber articles, in combination, a movable platform, means for effecting movement thereof, form members carried by said platform for receiving hollow rubber articles, flexible cord members connected at one end to said form members arranged to lie against them when the articles are placed thereon for engaging said articles at open ends thereof and rolling them endwise, and means for actuating said flexible cord members incident to the movement of the platform to move the other ends thereof into diverging relation to the formmembers to roll the articles toward the form connected ends of the flexible members.

3. In a rolling machine of the class described, in combination, a platform, a form member disposed thereon to receive hollow articles to be rolled, and a flexible cord member applied to the form member to lie flat against the inner surface of an article disposed on the form member and having an end extending from the form member an article disposed on the form member and operable to endwise engage the said article for causing endwise rolling effect thereon, means for moving the platform, means for anchoring said flexible member at its end opposite that connected with the form member, whereby movement of the platform tensions the flexible member to cause its rolling effect upon an article disposed upon the form member, and means to move said platform.

5. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a movable platform, form members disposed thereon to receive hollow ,articels in elongated condition, flexible rolling members attached to the form members and engageable with the inner sides of the hollow articles disposed on the form members, means anchoring the flexible members at ends opposite those connected to the form members, and means for imparting movement to the platform to effect tensioning of the flexible members and rolling action thereof upon the hollow articles on the form members.

6. Amachineas claimed in claim 5, wherein the movable platform is mounted for rotation and wherein the anchoring means for anchored ends of the flexible members is eccentrically disposed in relation to the axis of rotation of the platform.

'7. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a rotatable platform, form members thereon to receive hollow articles to be rolled,

flexible rolling me s connected to h members at one end to be disposed beneath and longitudinally of the hollow articles thereon,9anchoring means for the opposite ends of the flexible rolling members, and means for effecting relative movement of the flexible rolling members and the platform whereby to tension the flexible members and cause rolling effect thereof upon the hollow articles applied to the form members.

8. In a machine of the class described, in combination,- a rotatable platform, form members disposed thereon to receive hollow rubber articles tached to the pull member at one end and at tached to the form members at their opposite ends and adapted to lie in close relation to the form members longitudinally thereof, means for producing rotation of .the platform to thereby cause tensioning of the flexible members to effect rolling action thereof upon hollow articles dis posed upon the form members, and slack take-up same, and adapted to act on the inner side of i the articles thereon to endvvise roll and eject the articles; from the form members, and means to pull the rolling members away fromthe form members to cause said endwise rolling and eject- I ing actions. I

14. A machine as claimed in claim 13, in which the rolling members are flexible cord-like elements disposed longitudinally of the form members.

emplaced upon the form members in elongated condition, flexible rolling members connected at one end to the form members and disposed longitudinally thereof to lie inside rubber articles carried by the form members, a pull member disposed eccentrically of the axis of the rotatable platform and connected to the rolling members,.

and means for imparting relative movement to the platform and said pull member to tension the flexible rolling members, whereby to cause rolling action of the same upon the articles carried by the form members.

9. A machine as claimed in claim 8, in which the flexible members have shock portions combined with instrumentalities for taking up the slack in the lengths of the flexible members during the relative movement of the platform and the pull member.

10. A machine as claimed in claim 8, in which I 15. Means for rolling hollow rubber articles comprising a form member over which the hollow article is emplaced, a rolling member anchored to the form member adjacent to one end of the same and extending longitudinally of said member toward its otherend, and free to be pulled away from the form member at the last mentioned end for rolling the article from such end towardthe opposite end of said member.

16. Means as claimed in claim 15, in which the rolling member is flexible and when pulled away from the form, member assumes a divergent relation thereto.

17. Means as claimedin claim 15, in which the rolling member is a cord adapted to be pressed close to the form member by the article emplaced thereon, combined with means to tension the cord for effecting the pulling away action thereof respecting the form member.

, 18. Means for rolling hollow rubber articles, comprising a form member over which the hollow article is emplaced, a rolling member anchored to the form member adjacent to one end of the same and extending longitudinally of said member toward its other end, and free to be pulled away from the form member at the last mentioned end for rolling the article from such end toward the opposite end of said member, means to automatically restore the rolling member to the flexible members have shock portions combined with instrumentalities for taking up the slack in the lengths of the flexible members during the relative movement of the platform and the pull member, and comprising weight means suspended from the flexible members intermediate the ends.

11. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a rotatable platform, form members carried by the platform to turn therewith, an eccentric pull member disposed adjacent to the platform, cord-like flexible rolling members atits position longitudinal of the form member, after the pulling away action thereof, and means to pull the rolling member from the form member to causethe rolling member to move into diverging relation opposite its anchored end.

19. In a machine for rolling rubber articles, in

combination, a platform, form members carried by said platform for receiving hollow rubber articles placed thereover, flexible cord-like members disposed longitudinally of said form members arranged to lie against them when the articles are placed thereover, for engaging said articles internally, and an end of each cord member extending from its form member to be operable for rolling the article thereon endwise.

FRANK w. rmrwicx. 

